Accessibility in Education
Resource for Teachers and Parents
Making sure every iPad is set up to facilitate learning and personal use is very important to me. These steps make such a difference. By showing one 13-year-old young man I worked with how to work with 10 of these tools, he no longer needed a reader/writer to go to every class with him and this changed everything about his school experience. A few weeks later, his parents reached out and expressed their gratitude. They had tracked me down to convey how profoundly his life, and as a result, their own lives, had transformed due to these simple steps. Never underestimate the power of autonomy! I hope these tools create that type of dramatic change for students in your circle of influence also.
There are so many features built into your device, that I estimate that most people use around 10% of what is available to them. Plus, with the rate of change and the volume of incredibly useful tools, it's hard to keep up! In my work as an Apple Professional Learning Specialist, I've discovered that these selected tools have proven to be the most valuable in my interactions with the individuals I've collaborated with in the classroom.
This resource has been created to give you access to short videos that assist you to set up the iPad for success in the classroom.
The top tips are grouped into topics. In my mind, the first group are about the settings on the iPad. These are the more global type features. The second and third sets are the ones that assist students to get content into and out of iPad, and off the page or environment, and the fourth set is additional tools that facilitate organisation, and understanding. The last tool gives you customised suggestions of which features would be worth setting up based on the student’s personal needs.
You may decide to start with Step 30 just to get some direction on which tools will work for your student. Otherwise, start at the top and work through the ones which the student feels will work for them. If they are not sure, try them and then revisit in a few days, and switch them off if they are not beneficial.
If you need additional support in this area, I am here to help. Just reach out. We all need a helping hand.